Rivett is preparing for her 11th Surf ‘T’ Surf, while Sunday’s 2013 run will mark Dryburgh’s debut.

The pair have been running partners for the best part of nine months after Dryburgh moved back to Warrnambool after 20 years in Melbourne.

A decision to enter the 10-kilometre event rather than the six-kilometre trek was made only days ago.

Rivett has ample 10-kilometre experience, while Dryburgh has one run at that distance to her credit.

“Louise moved a couple of blocks away so I said to her ‘why don’t you come for a run in the mornings with me?’ and that’s how it started,” Rivett said.

“We started out running four kilometres a couple of times a week then the other day I said ‘I reckon you could do the 10 kilometres’.

“We ran 10 kilometres down the beach. We’ve done it once now so we have to do it in the fun run,” she said. “She is a bit worried about what the fun part is but I told her it’s the champagne afterwards.”

Dryburgh, a mother of three, said while slightly apprehensive, she was excited about the challenge.

“Why do six when you can do 10?,” she said. The sisters will run the entire journey together.

One won’t be left behind.

“Because I have been training with Carolyn it’s more fun,” Dryburgh said.

“She pushes me a bit and because she’s older I think ‘if she can do it I can do it’.”

Rivett, a mother of two, said the course was tough and uncompromising.

“If we run the whole 10 kilometres that’s our first achievement,” she said.

“If we run it in less than an hour-and-five we’d be happy with that and an hour we’d be ecstatic. The first hill is always the toughest, Cannon Hill. Nicholson Street hill is a hard hill because it’s your last hill and Hickford Parade is long, slow and up hill. It just keeps on going.”

Rivett said the Surf ‘T’ Surf had built a strong reputation and continued to grow.

“I reckon it’s getting better every year. The earlier 8.30am start is significantly better than the old 9 or 10 o’clock with the sun beating down and the bitumen burning your legs,” she said.

“Introducing the smaller ones for the family is fantastic — the three kilometres around the lake and six kilometres is doable for a lot of people.”

Online entry and registration for the teams and primary schools challenges in Sunday’s 32nd Surf ‘T’ Surf closes on Thursday at 5pm. Individual entries will be taken at Lake Pertobe on Saturday from 9am to 3pm at the marshalling area opposite the carnival.

All entries for the officially timed events — 10km run, 6km run and 6km walk — must be completed by 3pm on Saturday.

Lap of the Lake entries will be taken on Sunday morning between 7am and 8am.